The Disappearing Him

Konoha Military Police Force, Captain's Office.

Watching Uchiha Fugaku repeatedly bow his head in apology, Tsunade, seated on the sofa, sneered coldly.

"Are you saying that the mighty Uchiha Clan Head, captain of the Security Force, can't even find a single clansman?"

Uchiha Fugaku was drenched in sweat, yet aside from apologizing, there was nothing else he could do.

"I'm truly sorry. I have failed to live up to Lady Tsunade's expectations. I'm truly sorry..."

Even now, he could not figure out where Uchiha Chi had gone.

He had clearly gone to wait outside Uchiha Chi's door early that morning.

Yet the other man had not left his house all morning...

Unwilling to give up, he activated Chakra Sensing.

Only to discover that there was no one inside at all...

That was what puzzled Uchiha Fugaku the most.

No matter how skilled a newly promoted Genin was at concealing his presence, there was no way he could hide it from a Jonin like him, right?

Or had Uchiha Chi never gone home at all?

But that seemed even less likely.

According to the descriptions from the surrounding neighbors, Uchiha Chi was extremely disciplined. He left at sunrise and returned late every day; they had never seen him fail to return home on time.

Yesterday had naturally been no exception. Quite a few clansmen had personally seen Uchiha Chi return home.

By process of elimination, the only possibility left was that Uchiha Chi had left in the middle of the night...

Thus, Uchiha Fugaku could only reach one conclusion:

Uchiha Chi knew he had offended Tsunade, so he had guiltily fled in the middle of the night.

However, Uchiha Fugaku did not voice that speculation.

Because he was currently the contractor, while Tsunade was the client.

The client had issued a task, and the contractor should have completed it.

In Tsunade's eyes, Uchiha Fugaku had an entire Security Force under his command but could not even find a single Genin. That was undoubtedly proof of incompetence.

At a time like this, any explanation would merely be an excuse.

Uchiha Fugaku lowered his gaze and silently considered his options.

As the contractor, he had failed to complete the task as agreed. At present, there were only two viable solutions.

The first was to work overtime and complete the task as quickly as possible.

He had already made up his mind that once he found Uchiha Chi, he would give him a stern reprimand. But clearly, that was impossible for now.

The second was to proactively provide the client with the information and resources she needed, doing his best to make up for her losses.

Thus, Uchiha Fugaku decisively swallowed his bitterness and tried to salvage the situation. "Lady Tsunade, I already know the name of the person you are looking for."

Sure enough, upon hearing that, Tsunade looked up despite the displeasure written all over her face.

"His name is Chi."

Uchiha Fugaku immediately gave Uchiha Chi's name and proactively added, "I will personally lead a team to find Uchiha Chi and give Lady Tsunade an explanation."

Yet Tsunade said coldly, "No need."

With that, she rose straight from the sofa and headed for the door.

As she brushed past Uchiha Fugaku, her steps paused slightly.

"Stop sucking up to that old man. People really can become stupid from doing it."

Uchiha Fugaku's expression shifted slightly. He could only lower his head in humiliation and watch Tsunade leave the Security Force building.

"Uchiha Chi..."

Alone in his office, he repeatedly chewed over that name.

[Detected displeasure from Uchiha Fugaku!]

[Obtained 15 points and increased Damage Increase by 3%!]

"Uchiha Fugaku..."

Looking at the system notification, Uchiha Chi, who had just returned home, was speechless.

"When did I ever eat your rice?"

He had clearly done nothing. Why did this Clan Head keep thinking about him?

It made him feel like he would be too embarrassed not to do something...

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock...

Uchiha Chi looked toward the entryway, then got up to open the door in confusion.

A tiny little figure poked her head inside.

"Big Brother Chi, Clan Head Fugaku came looking for you today, but you weren't home then..."

She raised her index finger to her lips and whispered mysteriously, "You have to be careful, okay?"

"Alright, thank you." Uchiha Chi crouched down by the entryway and smilingly patted the little girl's head. "Who sent you?"

It was his first time seeing this child, yet she knew his name. Her elders must have told her.

Besides, a child her age probably did not even know who the Clan Head was, much less think to come warn him.

"Mom did!" the little girl replied cheerfully.

"Madam Hazuki..." Uchiha Chi looked at the tear mole beneath her right eye and nodded thoughtfully.

In his recollection, a kind and harmonious couple did indeed live nearby.

They should have been this little girl's parents.

He remembered them because their family was rather unusual. The little girl's father was not an Uchiha; he had married into the clan.

However, only a few years after coming to the clan grounds, he had died on the battlefield...

Uchiha Chi's heart stirred slightly as he thought of something.

"Please thank Madam Hazuki for me."

He smiled at the little girl. "Can you tell Big Brother your name?"

"Sure!"

The little girl nodded innocently and answered in a clear voice:

"My name is Izumi, the Izumi from 'spring water trickling'!"

Hokage Building.

Seeing the blonde beauty heading toward the Hokage's Office, several stationed Anbu members lowered their heads.

"Lady Tsunade."

"Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade said nothing. She merely nodded slightly before hurrying out of the two men's sight.

As Tsunade's footsteps faded away, the entire corridor fell silent again.

A few seconds passed.

"What do you think Lady Tsunade came to see the Lord Hokage about this time?"

The Anbu member codenamed Haru muttered softly. His mask was a frog with tear streaks.

"What else could it be? She's definitely here to borrow money."

The other Anbu member said in a deep voice. His codename was Zou, though the mask he wore resembled a cat. "Does she ever come to the Hokage's Office for anything besides borrowing money?"

"You're being a little too harsh..." Haru muttered in a lowered voice.

"Want to make a bet?" Zou said calmly. Though his face could not be seen, his confidence was obvious.

"Let's bet on whether she came to borrow money. I bet she did."

"Sure, then I'll bet she didn't." Haru said eagerly. "But how do we determine it? We can't exactly go over and ask her directly, can we?"

"If she came to borrow money, then when she leaves, she'll definitely be smiling while counting her cash." Zou said firmly. "She's been like that every single time over the years."

Inside the Hokage's Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen set down his Pipe and looked at the documents on his desk with a headache.

Although Konoha had now developed all sorts of departments, making the Hokage's burden far lighter than it had been for the previous two generations.

There were still always matters that required the Hokage's personal attention.

Such as assigning Ninja Squads.

This was not only the Hokage's exclusive authority, but also a means he used to balance the various ninja clans.

Today was the final day. In truth, he had already assigned all the squad members.

Only the instructors remained, and he had to fill them in one by one.

It was a massive undertaking, and he had to finish it today.

"What a headache..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered to himself as he rubbed his temples.

Tap, tap...

Hearing footsteps outside the door, Sarutobi Hiruzen said impatiently in a deep voice, "Danzo, I told you not to bother me these past two days..."

Bang—

The door was kicked open.